Its that time of year again and all through the Church of God the creatures are stirring as they ready themselves to go to decked out resorts and hotels to celebrate Christmas weekend together, because after all. it is sooooo convenient to meet together over Christmas.
The hotels and resorts will be decked out interior finest holiday decorations. Wonderful Christmas carols fill the air and wonderful scents from Christmas cakes and foods delight them all. Yet through all of that, Living Church of God, United Church of God and COGWA foolishly claim their members never listen to the Christmas carols and never notice all the Christmas decorations.
This year, United Church of God has laid down the law. No more bringing friends to enjoy the weekend, NOPE! God forbid if you let your light shine for the dirty, filthy, unconverted so-called Christians.
Winter Family Weekend (WFW) is a United Church of God (UCG) sponsored event. Its primary objective is to serve our UCG members and those members of other groups with similar standards and beliefs by allowing these members to take full advantage of everything WFW has to offer. A new participation policy is being implemented for this coming year. All performers and sports participants must be regularly attending members of UCG or a Sabbath Keeping Church of God organization or be a spouse or minor child living at home of someone who is such a member.Apparently UCG members and other COG members automatically close their ears and minds and NEVER listen to carols, but Never hum along silently and sing the words as they go from one boring
Bible Study after another.
I've heard some preachers in COG's be extremely anti-carol at this time of year. But some of the songs (not all) have "clean" Biblically sound lyrics.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me started on "Santa Baby," though. :-/
Did you see what Malm has written on his COG News site?
ReplyDeleteThe major COG organizations are having their Christmas celebrations, renamed Family Weekends, this week. In the fourth century the bishop’s renamed the Saternalia, Christmas; to hide its true meaning. Today the apostate corporate COG’s rename the same occasion as Family Day or Family Weekend, but it is still the birthday of the sun god which represents Satan and should be a regular work day. No job on Christmas, then get to that “to do list” of home repairs. Do remember that the Feast of Unleavened Bread is commanded to be observed with seven days of services before God.
He makes the false connection that COGs are celebrating Christmas renamed Family Weekend when they aren’t. Then he makes the false connection that Christians are celebrating Saturnalia renamed Christmas when they aren’t either. Then he refers to the FOUB exclaiming there should be services every day of the Feast like FOT. What the FOUB has to do with Christmas or Family Weekends or this time of year in general Idk.
Besides that judgmental post Malm even has to bring up Kubik’s mentioning of a kind act towards an ASD boy whose friends failed to show up for his birthday so his mom made a FB post about it and then the whole community turned up with gifts for the event. Yet, Malm is filled with “righteous indignation” that Kubik had to use an example involving birthdays. He states:
Victor Kubic uses birthday’s as examples of kindness. I am glad the lad in the story was encouraged but there are many ways to do that. One would think that Victor could come up with a better example than birthday celebrations or does UCG celebrate birthdays?
Where does God or the Bible explicitly prohibit celebrating birthdays Malm? He’s guilty of the very thing he accuses COGs and Christians of. He accuses them of keeping man-made traditions and yet he does the same keeping Armstrongism’s NTBMO tradition and command prohibiting birthdays.
Then this UCG participation policy is nothing more than discrimination and another example of the Armstrongist cultish mentality. If you can’t share and enjoy a social event with your family or friends then there’s no purpose in going to such event. Then again knowing how these COG cults have broken up families and friends over their history such a policy is actually in standing with their “standards and beliefs.”
Strawman argument anon 10:33.
ReplyDeleteNot a strawman 1:46 AM just my op re Malm’s logically, historically and biblically wrong diatribe re WFW/Xmas/birthdays.
DeleteMy sense was mostly that not very far beneath the surface of most members and ministers, the topic of Christmas, Easter and Birthdays was more a function of deferring to HWA and his zealots about such things than deep conviction about it's offensive and damnable origins as perceived through the eyes of those so inclined. In other words, a big deal had been made about Old Testament scriptures on "learn not the way of the heathen" and all the dramatic proof texts about idolatry and such while ignoring the very simple observation that most actually felt summed up in Paul's statement in the NEW TESTAMENT, a set of writings not often understood in the COG's it seems.
ReplyDeleteNow first of all, I recognize the topic of this discussion by Paul is on meat offered to idols, but take a look at the principles and the conflict Paul evidently knew it would cause in both those who knew better and those zealots who simply found offense in it eating such meat. Notice also that Paul recommended deferring to those who were more zealous and majoring in the minors so to speak and the burden was on those with a less heavy view to not offend them. That may or may not be the right way to go but it was his choice and view on how to handle the topic of pagan customs and locations a Christian should find or not find themselves in back in the day.
1 Corinthians 8 New International Version (NIV)
Concerning Food Sacrificed to Idols
8 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.
Comment: Here it seems Paul acknowledges that there were those in the know and not majoring in the minors, but that caused problems in the person and the church too. Love was more important.
4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.”
Comment: Or in principle, "so the, about pagan stuff." We know it's no big deal. Idols aren't real, can't hurt you and don't taint us.( Substitute trees, lights, songs, practices, mistletoe and yule logs here.)
5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”),
Comment: Which there aren't, but even if as many think there are...
6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
Comment: We know better don't we? Of course we do! The problem is not real. The "gods" aren't real. The issue is not and should not be such a big deal.
7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.
Comment: But "Houston, we got a problem here..." The zealots, which really are making mountains out of molehills, but they can't help it due to years of belief about what these things are to them and can't shake it see it as a threat and something now to be avoided like the plague. All of us must avoid it. All of us, according to them.
Con't…..
con't
ReplyDelete8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
Comment: But it's really no big deal as I said and those of us who have a bigger perspective and more realistic view of their "other gods" problem know it.
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
Comment: But we somehow need to all speak the same thing that there be no divisions, but that's rather idealistic with divided views among us. For better or worse, we have a problem where some, who I feel are not realistic or even are superstitious, will get upset and perhaps leave, so we need to be careful. All things to all people and all that.
10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?
Comment: If these types of overly zealous yet not well balanced or even informed see you at Winter Weekend, they might go but it will bother them. There is a tendency as we all know to "Go along to get along"
11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
Comment: So while we know the environment is really NOT a problem, in all members there is not that view and so the more zealous which to me often means the less flexible and overly anal-lytical have hurt consciences and a conflict we'd prefer they'd not have but they will because of how they think about such things.
12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
Comment: So we're damned if we do and damned if we don't. I think we can't really please everyone and if we don't work this out we'll please no one. But how to work it out?
13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
Comment: I suppose we should not be having such events, Darn, why do the balanced and informed always have to yield to the overly zealous, self righteous, weak and critical??? Oh well, We don't want them to leave the church or be hurt in their conscience. We really can't expect them to grow up or get the point that the idols of their past are not idols at all and our real God is not nearly as offended as they might think.
Now granted, the Old Testament version of God would be offended and we have more than enough proof texts on idolatry to back the views of the weak in whom is not the knowledge we now see in the NT, that the IDOL IS NOTHING!...grow up. They're going to go back to "You shall bring NO OTHER GODS INTO MY PRESENSE, for I THE LORD YOUR GOD am a JEALOUS GOD!" and all that.
SO cancel it I guess and defer to weak minded, OT haunted and easily offended types on such matters as these. No wait! They need to grow up. Give a sermon on it and let the chips fall where they may. No..not that, Yes that! All one body we. One in hope and doctrine and one in chariteeeee" No, that never works either. Cancel it... Doh...we're never going to get a match on this...
Well anyway, the idol is nothing. Deal with it.....
In short, Church is like a group hike up the Columbia Gorge. We have some great hikers, know their stuff, pack light but take important stuff like water and enjoy the scenery not giving much thought to how to hike.
ReplyDeleteThen we have the average hiker. A little slower, watches where their step a bit more, takes a bit too much water with them, a big lunch and forgot their sunglasses.
Finally we have the novice hiker who just had to go along. Read all about hiking and took way too much with them for this one. They are at the end of the line, looking at every step so as not to fall and before long, it kinda hurts. Their backpack is bulging with just in case stuff and they are slowwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
The whole group has to adapt to their pace because they can't keep up and really enjoy the hike. Their inexperience in such things holds the group up but the group doesn't want to leave them behind. After all, they signed up for the hike. So it's all quite annoying to the seasoned hikers.
However, if the hike is organized by someone who is not adept at hiking but wants to start a hike, (HWA? Flurry? Pack, Malm?, Thiel?) , picks the location and how it's all going to be, then those who want to enjoy it have only two choices. Go along and get along, adapt and be bored, impatient with the progress of the hike and wish the right people had organized it, or don't go and organize their own hike.
Paul's dilemma with how to approach the various kinds of mindsets in the Church is classic. It never has had a good solution and never will and no group is ever going to "all speak the same thing that there be no divisions" Nice thought, but it simply never works to demand that of a group.
All performers and sports participants must be regularly attending members of UCG or a Sabbath Keeping Church of God organization
ReplyDeleteThat's a surprise. At one time, UCG promoted these events as opportunities for "scattered" brethren (e.g. those too far distant from congregations to attend regularly) to join with a large group of brethren for a special occasion. What purpose is served by shutting these people out? It's positively strange that UCG will let such brethren attend the Feast of Tabernacles, but won't let them attend this non-commanded assembly. I guess it reveals which one is valued more by UCG.
Perhaps best summed up by:
ReplyDelete"When I was young, mountains were just mountains, rivers were just rivers and trees were just trees.
But when I got older, mountains were not just mountains, rivers were not just rivers and trees were not just trees.
Now that I am old, mountains are just mountains, rivers are just rivers and trees are just trees."
Buddhist observation on how it all actually is
Xmas song ratings: (Im not a Xmas observer, but am exposed to the songs like everyone else!)
ReplyDeleteBEST TUNES/RHYTHM -- Have a Holly Jolly Xmas - Burl Ives , Sleigh Ride- Ronettes , and Jingle Bell Rock- Bobby Helms , Rockin Around The Xmas Tree, Brenda Lee
WORST TUNES -- Little Drummer Boy , Oh Tannenbaum, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
How about a BANNED poll on this! LOL!
I'm sure their intentions are good, but their timing is terrible.
ReplyDeleteif they want winter family weekends they should wait until january or february...
as off the wall as Malm is, he does have a point about them renaming christmas so they can celebrate...it certainly has the appearance of evil and confuses those outside the Church who hear them preach against christmas....
@ 7:00 AM, they don't cancel Sabbath services when the Sabbath lands on December 25, so why would they abstain from sports or recreation when December 25 isn't a Sabbath?
ReplyDeleteI get the "party line" of "This is just when people have time off!" and such arguments as to why WFW is NOT "keeping christmas."
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is they all go to venues which market themselves as a christmas destinations—a place where people go specifically to keep christmas—wait for it...in order to NOT "keep christmas"? That's like going to an amusement park in order to NOT ride the rides, and instead sit on a bench and do bible study all day. Kind of an odd venue for that, don't ya think?
If they sincerely believed keeping christmas was as wrong as Armstrongies say they believe it's wrong, I'm sure there's at least a hundred different things they could do together over christmas break INSTEAD of going to a place where people go to keep christmas.
If you want to keep christmas that badly, there's plenty of ways to be a christian while just going ahead and keeping it. Nobody else sees anything wrong with that. Nobody else thinks it's evil. It's just you guys. That's because there's nothing objective about it that forces the conclusion that there's anything wrong with it.
So this little game of YOU saying it's wrong and condemning it, and then YOU going ahead and appearing to keep it anyway, that's just a game you're playing with yourself. The question I have is, why do you bother?
It's almost as though these people didn't care one bit about "avoiding the appearance" of what THEY say they believe is "evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.)
And it's almost as though they were being candid and up front about the fact they have no intention of doing what they say they do and keeping the whole bible, but were instead committed to visibly cherrypicking which scriptures to keep and which ones to ignore.
You would think that with the emphasis in WCG that was always placed on avoiding the appearance of evil, this is not one of the scriptures they would now choose to pretend like it didn't exist. But, there it is. Awkwardly in plain sight too.
But lest you think I'm some kind of James Malm, I'm certainly not. These people are the ones who say they want to live a life of integrity according to a certain set of principles. I'm just noticing they're not doing what they say they're doing. Sure, there are ways to live a life of integrity, it's just that trying to follow a self-contradictory book while pretending to know things you don't know (otherwise known as "faith"), well, that's just not one of them. And while nobody's perfect, trying to accomplish the logically impossible certainly isn't doing yourself any favors in the integrity department.
Armstrongies are such gluttons for punishment—except of course when they're blatantly violating the principles THEY say are "sacred."
They play this game with themselves and then think they're NOT in every way that matters the pharisees that Jesus condemned as "hypocrites"?
From the perspective of someone who travels to the COGWA WFW but am not a member of COGWA or any COG, I mainly go for the Christian fellowship which is very important to my spiritual health. Their seminars are a mixed bag - still have plenty the Armstrong/Clergy/Authority mumbojumbo, but have some good points here and there. I don't care about what Christmas paraphernalia might be there, I don't care what time of year it is, and I don't consider it unholy time. It certainly is convenient since my work slows down that time of year. I don't think I am observing anything, just fellowshipping, as simple as that. The clergy of COGWA never give me a hard time about anything, and if they did I'd tell 'em to go pound some rocks, but they never have.
ReplyDeleteFrom Wikipedia article entitled "Isolation to Facilitate Abuse": "An important element of psychological control is the isolation of the victim from the outside world. Isolation includes controlling a person's social activity: whom they see, whom they talk to, where they go and any other method to limit their access to others."
ReplyDeleteI used to attend District Family Weekends in the WCG. It was as much about the statement above as anything else.
""""Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI'm sure their intentions are good, but their timing is terrible.
if they want winter family weekends they should wait until january or february...
as off the wall as Malm is, he does have a point about them renaming christmas so they can celebrate...it certainly has the appearance of evil and confuses those outside the Church who hear them preach against christmas....
December 21, 2019 at 7:00 AM"""""
Did you ever stop and think that the reason that it's held that weekend isn't because of Christmas but because the kids are out of school that time of year. The weekends always extend two or three days into the weekdays. Most schools don't have week long days off in Jan. or Feb. if they did I'm sure they'd change the dates. But who cares? It's not about xmas anyway. I doubt if most of you have even been to one. Including No2HWA!
Talk about being judgmental!
Since leaving the Armstrong movement, I've only ever done Christmas basically for Chicks. If I had a wife or girlfriend for whom it was important, then I got into it. But I also explained to them that I had been raised as a Messianic Jew, keeping the sabbath and holy days from the Torah. Social gatherings were fun during the Christmas and New Year season. Probably the most fun I had was going to the huge block parties that the city put on, at which there was lots of food and drink, and live rock and country music. One of my favorites was seeing the show that Waylon and Jessi put on @ Y2K. Very memorable. Lots of other bikers present.
ReplyDeleteBB
I don't believe having it at any other time is the point of it. The point is to take the sting out of no Xmas observance at Xmas time when kids are off etc.
ReplyDeleteAnon 3:55 Are you a troll? It would not be for the first time if you are.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the UCG participation policy allows UCG members who cannot for various reasons attend Sabbath services every Sabbath. Since the COGWA UCG split they are very understanding.
Is that a WOMAN minister in UCG, at Winter Family Weekend, giving a sermon on sticking to the trunk of the tree???? Or maybe sticking up out of the trunk of tree?
ReplyDeleteMaybe she is just stumping herself or the audience....?
ReplyDeleteI don't see where the new policy says "(n)o more bringing friends". It just limits who is allowed to be a performer or sports participant. The policy could be addressing an issue with talented non-members altering the dynamics of their events. Such "ringers" would discourage participation by members.
ReplyDeleteAnon 10:43 AM, either you are the troll or the original poster is the troll, as Anon 3:55 AM claimed to be quoting from the official UCG announcement. Any WCG or splinter member knows that "regularly attending members" has a very specific meaning in an ACOG context.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean Dennis C Diehl?
ReplyDeleteDear sir 3:14,
DeleteRegarding the offer on your latest telecast I would like to request the booklet with the above title "What do you mean Dennis C Diehl", free for the asking, no obligation whatsoever.
Thank you.
Nck
Come on now, that picture and video are from the Great Wolf lodge in Georgia not Mason, Ohio where UCG has their weekend.
ReplyDeleteHow about putting an actual video of UCG's weekend up?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ucg.org/members/winter-family-weekend/winter-family-weekend-2019
7.00 AM
ReplyDeleteYour 'appearance of evil' (1Thess 5.22) is a bad bible translation. It's an add-on, that doesn't appear in the original manuscripts. The new king James translation correctly leaves it out. Technicality, it's impossible to implement because of the strictness of some religious sects (eg, no chrome on cars), and that's before political correctness came along.
4:01 PM
DeleteWhich specific manuscripts are you referring to when you state “the original manuscripts?”
Also, the NKJV actually does retain the 1 Thess. 5:22 verse thus: “Abstain from every form of evil.” So which version were you meaning?
9.29 PM
ReplyDelete1Thess 5.22:
Reject every kind of evil - NIV
Abstain from every form of evil - NAS
Stay away from every kind of evil. - NLT
Abstain from every form of evil - ESV
So the king James 'Abstain from all appearance of evil' is a poor translation. Ministers love it since it gives them undue influence over members, but it's in the don't add to Gods word category.
I was thinking of another scripture with my 'it's an add on that doesn't appear in the original manuscripts.' My mistake. I will look this up.
in case anyone is interested...
ReplyDeletefrom my interlinear bible:
abstain G567 from G575 all G3956 appearance G1491 of evil G4190
"appearance" seems to be there, G1491 eidos, form (literally or figuratively), appearance, fashion, shape, sight.
doesn't really disagree with 12:13AM's translations
ReplyDeleteX-MASS >>> WINTER FAMILY X-MASS WEEKEND
The Living Church of Rod (LCG) observes its Winter Family X-mass Weekend custom because Roderick C. Meredith was UNQUALIFIED to lead the church. RCM kept on garbling everything that Herbert W. Armstrong had taught in an attempt to compete against HWA and to try to put RCM's own stamp on his own family religion business. That is why the LCG has so-called “doctrinal upgrade” disasters like the two-fold gospel, the falling away being in the world, the marriage supper being in heaven, and X-mass being in the Living Church of Rod.
The disUnited Church of Godlessness, an International Abomination (UCGaIA) observes its Winter Family X-mass Weekend custom because former Tkach goons like Victor Kubik are in control. They supported TOTAL APOSTASY in the WCG until their paychecks ran out. Don't be surprised by their current apostate behavior in the UCG. The UCG is full of unrepentant, unconverted, unbelievers behaving very badly while playing church. Godless bums become newly credentialed as UCG “ministers.” The UCG is where stalkers get the so-called “ministers” to kick out their victims who complain. Worldly people in worldly churches such as the UCG observe worldly customs like X-mass.
The Church of Guys, a Worldly Association (COGWA) observes its Winter Family X-mass Weekend custom because this is the LAODICEA ERA of the church. COGWA should have used the UCG-COGWA split in 2010 as an opportunity to correct things, but it did not. COGWA likes to preach at the world to admit its errors and repent of them, but it is not interested in admitting any of its own errors or repenting of them. Sitting around watching movies, and observing X-mass, is more the actual COGWA lifestyle. COGWA has not really grown at all since it started about 9 years ago. It will wonder why not. It will wonder what it can do to attract new people and grow--other than repent, which it refuses to do, of course.
I would just point out that the COG family winter weekend has its origins in the WCG local congregations going back to the 1960s. I don't know if it was happening at Pasadena or Big Sandy. I noticed on the UCG link that a dance is one of the activities. The Washington D.C. WCG under Ken Westby in the 1960s (and beyond) use to hosted a winter dance on Christmas eve every year that was attended by many brethren from far away in Ken's Mid-Atlantic district. They were often themed. One memorable year was Hawaiian themed. Then I remember basketball and youth events were added to the calendar in later years. Some of the people who are now in leadership positions in COGWA (splintered from UCG) originated in the Washington D.C. WCG where this was a common annual practice and carried it with them when UCG splintered from WCG. UCG/COGWA's Clyde Kilough's wife Debbie, Britt Taylor, Arnold Hampton and Don McCoy are several whom I can think of off-hand who attended these in the 1960s/1970s carrying on the tradition.
ReplyDeleteRichard
And a very happy unChristmas to you from your favorite servant leader - Jerry:
ReplyDeleteThe chaplain of a prison in Texas sent us this note of thanks: “This note is simply to say thank you for the recent box of Tomorrow’s World magazines. They have been a real hit with our inmate population. Keep up the good work, Jesus Christ is coming soon!” And finally, by this time next Sabbath, December 25 will happily be in our rearview mirror.—Gerald Weston
wonder what they will give them next Christmas?
(For those of you who don't recognize it - unChristmas is a takeoff on unbirthday from one of the animated Alice in Wonderland movies.)
ReplyDeleteLake of Fire Church of God at 11:14 AM said...“I would just point out that the COG family winter weekend has its origins in the WCG local congregations going back to the 1960s. I don't know if it was happening at Pasadena or Big Sandy. I noticed on the UCG link that a dance is one of the activities. The Washington D.C. WCG under Ken Westby in the 1960s (and beyond) use to hosted a winter dance on Christmas eve every year that was attended by many brethren from far away in Ken's Mid-Atlantic district. They were often themed. One memorable year was Hawaiian themed. Then I remember basketball and youth events were added to the calendar in later years. Some of the people who are now in leadership positions in COGWA (splintered from UCG) originated in the Washington D.C. WCG where this was a common annual practice and carried it with them when UCG splintered from WCG. UCG/COGWA's Clyde Kilough's wife Debbie, Britt Taylor, Arnold Hampton and Don McCoy are several whom I can think of off-hand who attended these in the 1960s/1970s carrying on the tradition.”
The 1974 Rebellion
By MAM
In 1974, a group of ministers left the Worldwide Church of God and formed a new group known as the Associated Churches of God. The prime mover behind this split was a district manager named Ken Westby.
In case someone is interested even more in 1 These 5.22, there's an article on the internet by Hans Deventer and Dennis R Bratcher on 'The appearance of evil mistranslation of 1 Thess 5.22.'
ReplyDeleteAs the article points out, it boils down to the translation of the Greek word eidouV, which can mean either appearance or form. But considering the context, form is the better translation. As the article points out, the 'appearance 'translation opens up the 'multiplying of rules and regulations' and 'guilt by association.' Which is how it's often misapplied in the ACOGs.
The ACOGs, like most of churchianity, are always itching for some pretext to treat members like children rather than adults. The 'appearance' translation of 1Thess 5.22 is one such pretext, so no one is going to take that from them.
11.07 AM
ReplyDeleteNice post. It raises the question of what do splinter ministers believe in the privacy of their minds. They act as thought policeman, but secretly don't believe much of what they enforce.
Members should ponder this when pulled up by their minister 'administering gawds government.'
I recall "winter (youth) sports activities with later potluck addition" in our area starting around 1986.
ReplyDeleteIt was a welcome break for youth to meet with church friends and adults to escape the excuses of not joining family in the regular festivities.
As a kid I had spent every Xmas with Bing and the grandparents.
Nck
".' Which is how it's often misapplied in the ACOGs."
ReplyDeletethere are many passages that are misapplied to support Sunday keeping....does that render the translations invalid?
is there really any difference in form/appearance?
anything can be taken out of context...and often is.
be careful when stating what someone's motivation is.....that is the base form of condemnation.
When I was in Australia in the mid-70s I remember the pastor of one of the Sydney WCG churches (they had about 4 or more - Sydney's a big city) say there would be a holiday retreat. This was some kind of campout that would be on the beach north of Sydney.
ReplyDeleteNot to tie it with Christmas, the pastor said that if during the retreat anyone would say "today is Christmas" he'd say, "Really, I didn't realize that". The man next to murmured that everyone knows when it's Christmas Day...
Anyway, no one told me they attended, and I never heard about it again.
6.32 AM
ReplyDelete'Be careful when stating what someone's motivation is..'
Also be careful of not exercising one's duty of care of evaluating others motives. Christ's 'beware of the Pharisees..' is the product of much thought and observation. My years in Darth Armstrong's Lemon Church of God gave me a clear understanding of church culture and ministers unstated beliefs. Patterns in peoples behavior doesn't lie.
PS, a belief Herbs ministers tried to impose on members was that they should believe ministers supposed infallible words rather than members supposed lying eyes. That is, the opposite of 'you shall know them by their fruits.
They do Anon 1:10pm
ReplyDeleteThey do more and more ponder.
There is much to ponder about religious policemen.
December 21, 2019 at 2:30 PM said it.
ReplyDeleteWhile there may be other things to complain about regarding COGs and these events, this policy just seems to be about keeping the limited-space/competitive events to church members...and not even UCG members at that. No ringers, no court-crawlers looking to stomp in basketball whatever church is holding an event this week, no wannabe performers haunting the hotel lobbies.